Casing door operator



Nov. 14, 1950 N. P. BACH 2,529,478

CASING DOOR OPERATOR Filed Jan. 7, 1946 s Sheets-Sheet 1 A TTOE/VE Y5 Nov. 14, 1950 N. P. BACH 2,

CASING DOOR OPERATOR Filed Jan. 7, 1946 s Sheets-Sheet 2 6? 7! 47 INVENTORI BY %%ZLQZQJ -M 15- in.

Nov. 14, 1950 N. P. BACH 2,529,478

CASING DOOR OPERATOR Filed Jan. 7, 1946 a Sheets-Sheet s Patented Nov. 14, 1950 ASIN G DOOR OPERATOR Neils P. Bach, Geneva, N. Y., assignor to American Can Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New Jersey Application January 7, 1946, Serial No. 639,573

8 Claims.

The present invention relates to a hinge mechanism for heavy doors and has particular reference to devices for securing and releasing a door and for swinging it relative to the opening it closes.

An object of the invention is the provision of a hinge mechanism for heavy doors wherein the door may be swung free of the opening it closes so that the entire opening may be utilized unobstructed.

Another object is the provision of such a hinge mechanism wherein doors of excessive weight may be easily swung into and out of position.

Another object is the provision of a hinge mechanism of this character wherein heavy doors may be readily secured or locked in place by the mere turning of a handle and by the same handle may be easily released free of the opening it closes prior to being swung into an out-ofthe-way position.

Another object is the provision of such a hinge mechanism wherein heavy doors may be closed squarely against the frame surrounding the opening with a uniform tightness around its periphery and may be easily backed off from the frame when opening thereby protecting gaskets when used for hermetically sealing the opening so that damage to the gaskets as by pinching, etc., is avoided.

Numerous other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent as it is better understood from the following description, which, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, discloses a preferred embodiment thereof.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of an apparatus embodying the instant invention, the view showing the door of the apparatus in closed and locked position, with parts broken away;

Figs. 2 and 3 are views similar to Fig. 1 showing the door of the apparatus in different positions;

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the apparatus with the door in a closed position as shown in Fig. 1, with parts broken away; and

Figs. 5, 6 and 7 are sectional views taken substantially along the lines 5. 68 and 1'l in Fig. 1, with parts broken away.

As a preferred embodiment of the instant invention the drawings illustrate a portion of a container or can steam or other heat treating machine or the same may be a vacuumizing and gassing machine comprising in part a vacuumizing and gassing chamber enclosed by a metal casing ll (Fig. l). The casing preferably is rectangular in shape and at one end (at the left in Fig. 1) is provided with an opening l2 (Fig. 5). In area this opening is the full cross-sectional dimensions of the inside of the chamber and through it trays of filled cans to be vacuumized and gassed are introduced into and discharged from the chamber. This opening is surrounded by a flange I3 which is formed on the casing H and which serves as a seat for a gasket carried in a heavy metal door [6 used to hermetically seal the opening during the can vacuumizing and gassing operation.

The door [6 is mounted for lateral swinging movement relative to the casing opening I2, on a hinge mechanism which includes a heavy r enforced support arm is (see Figs. 1 and 4) disposed outside of and adjacent one side of the casing H. The door end of the arm is formed with a long vertically disposed bearing l9 which carries a pivot-shaft 2|. The ends of this pivot shaft extend above and below the bearing and engage in a pair of spaced hinge lugs 22 formed on the door along one vertical edge thereof. These lugs engage against the top and bottom of the arm bearing l3 and thus rigidly support the door while permitting it to swing freely on the pivot shaft.

The opposite end of the support arm 18 is formed with along vertically disposed bearing 25 which carries a swing shaft 28 (see also Fig. .6). This shaft is secured to the bearing by a taper pin 21. The ends of the shaft extend above and below the bearing 25 and are rotatably disposed in short pivot bearings 29. These pivot bearings form a part of a pair of spaced and parallel pivot links'3l which extend outwardly from a common, long hub 32. The link hub 32 is pivotally mounted on a vertical pivot shaft 33, the ends of which are carried in bearing blocks 34 bolted to the top and bottom of the casing ll.

When the door I6 is in a closed and locked position to hermetically seal the opening I2 of the casing I I, as shown in Figs. 1 and 5, it is held in place by a locking device which includes a pair of latches 4|. These latches are located adjacent the top and bottom edges of the door. They are loosely mounted on eccentric end extensions 42 formed on the ends of a vertically disposed looking shaft 43. Shaft 43 is rotatably carried in a.

pair of spaced bearing lugs 44 formed on the front of the door near the vertical middle thereof. The lower latch: 4| is held in place on its eccentric extension by way of a collar 45 which is secured. in

. 3 place by a taper pin. The upper latch is retained against displacement by a shaft actuating handle 46 which is keyed to the upper eccentric extension.

The two latches 4| extend inwardly above and below the casing II and are formed with hook noses 5| (see Fig. 1) having curved locking recesses 52. When the latches are in door locking position, their locking recesses engage around a pair of locking collars 53 (see also Fig. 5) constituting stationary lugs secured by bolts 54 to the top and bottom of the casing The collars are eccentrically mounted on the bolts andthis provides for adjustment for wear. The bolts hold the collars stationary in an adjusted position. The latch recesses are slightly larger than the collars to permit some play. However, the hook nose adjacent the innermost portion of each recess engages the collars 53 tightly while the door is in its closed position, as best shown in Fig. 1.

Each of the latches 5| is held against appreciable movement relative to the door l6 by a pair of guide links 58, 59 (Figs. 1 and 5). Guide links 58 are short links each having an end pivotally connected one to the top and the other to the bottom edges of the door. The opposite ends of the two guide links are mounted on pivot pins 6| (see also Fig. 7) carried in the latches. The latch ends of the links are disposed in recesses 62 formed in the inner surfaces of the latches.

The guide links 59 are long links each having one end overlapping the outer surface of the latches where they are pivotally mounted on the pivot pins 6|, as shown in Fig. '7. The opposite ends of the long links are formed with short slots 53 (Fig. l). Bolts 64 extend through these slots and are threadedly engaged in bosses 65 formed on the top and bottom of the casing I (see Figs. 5 and 6). These bosses preferably are located in line with and are adjacent to the pivot shaft 33, as best shown in Fig. 1.

To unlock the door IE it is merely necessary to swing the locking handle 46 in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 1 through an arc of substantially 180 into the position shown in Fig. 2. The travel of the handle is limited by a pair of lugs 58 (Figs. 1 and 5) which are formed on the handle and which alternately engage against a stop pin 69 secured in the upper latch 4|. This movement of the handle also rotates the locking shaft 43 through substantially 180 and thus swings the eccentric shaft extensions 42 inward 1y. This latter swinging pushes the latches 4| inwardly until the latch wall adjacent the outer edge of the latch recesses 52 engages against the locking collars 53, as best shown in Fig. 2. This slight inward travel of the latches is taken up by the slots 63 in the long guide links 59.

The inward travel of the latches 4| is effected during the first part of the travel of thehandle. During the remaining portion of the handle travel, the latches push against the locking collars 53. This action reacts against the door l6 and thus pushes the door straight out away from the casing l, as shown in Fig. 2.

This outward movement of the door is made possible by movement of its support arm I8 which in turn causes rocking of the pivot links 3| on the pivot shaft 33. A pin H formed on the upper end of the swin shaft 26 and operating in slot 72 of the upper bracket limits the travel of the arm.

Thus the seal between the door gasket I5 and its seat -|3'is readily broken without any damage being done to the gasket. This breaking of the seal through the swinging of the handle 46 is readily effected without much effort and is of particular advantage especially when a partial vacuum exists in the casing chamber. It should be noticed at this point in the description of the locking mechanism that there is no movement of the locking latches 4| except the slight inwardmovement against the locking collars 53 to pry the door loose from its seat and to' move it outwardly clear of the casing, as shown in Fig. 2.

Provision is made for swinging the door IE on its hinge mechanism into an out-of-the-way position adjacent the side of the casing I l, as shown in Fig. 3, when once it is released from its seat I3. This is desirable so that the casing opening 12 will be entirely free and unobstructed for the insertion or discharge of trays of cans, as hereinbefore mentioned. For this purpose the door swing shaft 26 (Figs. 3 and 6) carries on its lower end a sprocket 14 which is connected by an endless chain 15, extending under the casing with a driving sprocket 76 disposed adjacent the opposite side of the casing. This driving sprocket is secured to the lower end of a, vertically disposed drive shaft ll carried in a pair of spaced bearshaft 26 rotates this latter shaft and thus swings the support arm l8 and the door carried thereon outwardly from the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2 into the position shown in Fig. 3. Rotation of the swing shaft is limited by an adjustable set screw 82 (Figs. 1 and 6) which is carried in a lug 83 formed on the bearing 25 of the support arm. This set screw engages against the hub 32 of the pivot links 3| as shown in Fig. 3, when the door is in a position clear of the casing opening l2, and thus terminates the swinging movement of the hinge mechanism.

During this swinging of the door 56 into the position shown in Fig. 3 it is guided around the adjacent corner of the casing l! by the guide links 58, 59. These guide links keep the door clear of the casing flange l3 as the support arm l8 swings the door laterally from in front of the casing opening l2 and pullsit around the corner 1 of the casing into the position shown in Fig. 3.

In this position of the door it is entirely free of the opening, leaving the latter unobstructed. During this swinging action the pivotal connection between the door and its support arm I8 l and between the arm and its pivot links 3| permit of free pivoting of the hinge mechanism to easily and accurately shift the door into its opened position.

When the returning the door "5 to closed position it is merely necessary to actuate the driving handle 19 in the direction opposite to that mentioned above. The turning of the handle in this direction swings the door around the corner of the casing l and brings it into position directly in front of the opening l2 in the casing. As the door comes into this position the locking latches 4| engage against the locking collars 53 on the casing. This terminates the swinging movement of the door, with the locking collars 53 located in the recesses 52 of the latches (Fig. 2). The door is thus properly located relative to the casing opening l2 but is still in spaced relation thereto.

Operation of the locking handle 46 now in an outward direction forces the door inwardly and squarely against the casing seat [3 to hermetically seal the opening l2, as hereinbefore mentioned.

It is thought that the invention and many of its attendant advantages will be understood from the foregoing description, and it will be apparent that various changes may be made in the form, con-: struction and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention or sacrificing all of its material advantages, the form hereinbefore described being merely preferred embodiment thereof.

I claim:

1. In combination with a casing having an opening and a door for sealing said opening, a yieldable hinge connection between said door and said casing for supporting the door and for moving it laterally relative to said casing, a locking device on said casing adjacent said door, an eccentric shaft carried on said door, an actuating handle secured to said shaft for rotating it through a partial rotation, a latch element mounted on said eccentric shaft and engageable with said locking device on said casing with either pull or push connections, the former being effective for locking said door in closed position, said latch element also being movable inwardly against said locking device during the rotation of said eccentric shaft for forcing said door straight outwardly away from said casing to initially release the door, and guide links connecting said door and said casing with said latch element for guiding said door into and out of locked position.

2. In combination with a casing having an opening and a door for sealing said opening, a yieldable hinge connection between said door and said casing for supporting the door and for moving it laterally relative to said casing, a locking collar on said casing adjacent said door, an eccentric shaft carried on said door, an actuating handle secured to said shaft for rotating it through a partial rotation, a latch element mounted on said eccentric shaft and engageable with one side of said locking collar on said casing for locking said door in closed position, said latch element being movable inwardly to engage another side of said locking collar during the rotation of said eccentric shaft for forcing said door straight outwardly away from said casing to initially release the door, cooperating stop members on said actuating handle and on said latch element for limiting the rotation of said eccentric shaft, and guide links connecting said door and said casing with said latch element for guiding said door into and out of locked position.

3. In combination with a casing having an opening and a door having a gasket for sealing said opening, a locking device on said casing, latch means mounted on said door and having hooking and pressing engagement with said locking device for locking the door in closed position under its hooking engagement and for shifting it straight out away from said casing under pressing engagement to break the gasket seal and to initially release the door preparatory to moving it into an open position, a support arm pivotally connected to said door for supporting the door, means for swinging the released door laterally of said casing into an open position clear of said casing opening so that said opening will be entirely unobstructed for the introduction of articles into said casing, and a pivot link pivotally connecting said support arm with said casing to compensate for the initial opening movement of said door.

4. In combination with a casing having an 6. opening and a, door having a gasket for sealing said opening, a locking device on said casing, latch means mounted on said door and having two difierent engagements with said locking device, actuating means for moving said latch means into one engagement for locking the door in closed position and into the other engagement for shifting it straight out away from said casing to break the gasket seal to initially release the door pre-- paratory to moving it into an. open position, a support arm pivotally connected to said door for for the introduction of articles into said casing,-

a pivot link pivotally connecting said support arm with said casing to compensate for the initial opening movement of said door, and guide 'links connecting said doorand said casing with said latch means for guiding the door into and out of closed position.

5. In combination with a casing having .an opening and a door having agasket forsealing said opening, a locking device on said casing, latch means including anactuating member mounted on said door and engageable with said locking device in two forms of engagement as determined by the movement of said member, one for locking the door in closed position-and the other engagement of the latch means shifting the door straight out away from said casing to break the gasket seal and initially release the door preparatory to moving it into an open position, a support arm pivotally connected at one end to said door for supporting the door, a swing shaft carried in the opposite end of said arm, a door actuating handle disposed on the opposite side of the casing from said arm, a sprocket and chain connection between said swing shaft and said door actuating handle for swinging said arm relative to said casing for moving the released door laterally into an open position clear of said casing opening so that said opening will be entirely unobstructed for the introduction of articles into said casing, and a pivot link pivotally connecting said swing shaft with said casing to compensate for the initial opening release movement of said door.

6. In combination with a casing having an opening and a door for sealing said opening, a locking device on said casing, latch means mounted on said door and engageable with said locking device in one of two connections, one for locking the door in closed position and the other connection for shifting it straight out away from said casing to initially release the door preparatory to moving it into an open position, a support arm pivotally connected to said door for supporting the door and for swinging it laterally of said casing into an open position clear of said casing opening so that said opening will be entirely unobstructed for the introduction of articles into said casing, a pivot link pivotally connecting said support rm with said casing to compensate for the initial release opening movement of said door, stop means for limiting the pivotal action of said pivot link to insure correct swinging movement of said support arm, and guide links connecting said door and said casing with said latch means for guiding the door into and out of closed position.

7. In combination with a casing having an opening and a door having a gasket for seal- 7 ing said opening, a yieldable hinge connection between said door and said casing for supporting the door and for moving it laterally relative to said casing, a pair of collars disposed on opposite sides of said casing adjacent said door, an eccentric shaft carried on said door, an actuating handle secured to said shaft for rotatin it through a partial rotation, a pair of latch elements mounted on said eccentric shaft each having a recess, the surrounding wall of said recess being engageable with said locking collar on said casing for locking said door in closed position, said latch elements being movable inwardly to press said recess walls against said collars during the rotation of said eccentric shaft for forcing said door straight outwardly away from said casing to break said gasket seal and to initially release the door preparatory to moving it laterally into an open position clear of said casing opening, means for swinging the released door into open position, and guide links connecting said door and said casing with said latch elements for guiding the door into and out of closed position.

8. In combination with a casing having an opening and a door for sealing said opening, a yieldable hinge connection between said door and said casing for supporting the door and for moving it laterally relative to said casing, said yieldable hinge connection comprising a support arm pivotally connected at one side to said door, the other side of said support arm carrying a swing shaft and having pivot bearings pivotally 81. disposed between the shaft and said casing for lateral swinging movement of the door relative to said casing opening, a locking device on said casing adjacent said door, latch means mounted on said door and engageable with said locking device in either of two positions, one for locking the door in closed position and the other for shifting said door straight out away from said casing to release it from the casing, and guide links connecting said door and said casing with said latch means for guiding said door into and out of locked position during yielding of said hinge connection.

NEILS P. BACH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

